What's the difference between last touch and first touch
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Last touch and first touch are two different attribution models used in Mixpanel to assign credit for conversions or other important events in a user's journey. Here's the key difference between them: 1. Last Touch: This model gives 100% credit to the last touchpoint within the attribution lookback window. It focuses on the most recent interaction before a conversion.2. First Touch: This model gives 100% credit to the first touchpoint within the attribution lookback window. It emphasizes the initial interaction that brought a user to your product or website.The choice between these models depends on what you want to measure: - Last touch is often used for bottom-funnel campaigns, as it helps identify which channels are most effective at driving immediate conversions. - First touch is typically used for top-funnel or prospecting campaigns, as it helps understand which channels are best at bringing in new users or initiating customer journeys.It's worth noting that Mixpanel allows you to compare multiple attribution models side-by-side, giving you a more comprehensive view of your marketing performance.Mixpanel Blog: Marketing reports that calculate campaign ROI provides more context on how these models can be applied in different scenarios.
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Bottom-funnel and top-funnel campaigns refer to marketing efforts targeting different stages of the customer journey. Let me explain each based on the information from our knowledge sources: Top-funnel campaigns: These are marketing initiatives aimed at the early stages of the customer journey, focusing on awareness and initial engagement. They are designed to reach a broad audience and introduce them to your product or service. According to the Mixpanel blog: 1. Top-funnel campaigns are good for driving reach and are often measured using a first-touch attribution model. 2. They focus on metrics like sessions, unique users, and new users generated by each campaign. 3. The goal is to understand initial engagement and prospecting efforts.Mixpanel Blog: Marketing reports that calculate campaign ROI mentions that top-funnel campaigns can be evaluated using metrics like sign-ups and pricing page visits after initial exposure to a campaign.Bottom-funnel campaigns: These campaigns target users who are closer to making a purchase decision. They focus on converting interested prospects into customers. The same blog post provides insights: 1. Bottom-funnel campaigns are typically measured using a last-touch attribution model. 2. They focus on metrics directly related to revenue, such as purchases and their attributed value. 3. The goal is to drive conversions and revenue from users who are already familiar with your product or service.It's important to note that both types of campaigns play crucial roles in the overall marketing strategy. Top-funnel campaigns build awareness and interest, while bottom-funnel campaigns capitalize on that interest to drive conversions. Understanding the performance of both helps in allocating marketing resources effectively across the entire customer journey.
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Your question touches on an important aspect of UTM tracking and attribution in Mixpanel. Let me clarify based on the information from our knowledge sources: 1. Last Touch Attribution vs. UTM Tracking: Last touch attribution and UTM tracking are related but distinct concepts in Mixpanel: - Last touch attribution is an attribution model that gives 100% credit to the last touchpoint within the attribution lookback window, as explained in the [Mixpanel Documentation on Attribution Models](https://docs.mixpanel.com/docs/features/attribution#attribution-models). - UTM tracking, on the other hand, is about capturing UTM parameters from URLs that users click to reach your site. 2. UTM Tracking in Mixpanel: By default, Mixpanel's JavaScript SDK tracks UTM parameters in two ways: a) First-touch UTM tracking: [Mixpanel Documentation on Traffic Attribution](https://docs.mixpanel.com/docs/tracking-best-practices/traffic-attribution) states: "Mixpanel's Javascript library will also track initial_utm_parameters as a profile property, based on the first ever visit. This is helpful as if a user makes a purchase or completes some other important event, it is important to know what acquisition channel brought them to your site originally." b) Event-level UTM tracking: The same documentation mentions: "The JavaScript library will automatically add any UTM parameters (utm_source, utm_campaign, utm_medium, utm_term, utm_content, utm_id, utm_source_platform, utm_campaign_id, utm_creative_format, utm_marketing_tactic) present on the page to events fired from that page load." 3. Last-touch UTM tracking: While not enabled by default, Mixpanel does provide a way to implement last-touch UTM tracking. According to the [Mixpanel Documentation on Last-Touch UTM Tracking](https://docs.mixpanel.com/docs/tracking-best-practices/traffic-attribution#last-touch-utm-tracking): "It can also be helpful to track UTM tags in a last-touch manner, which would set the UTM tag to the most recent value detected for the user. This allows you to evaluate the effectiveness of more recent acquisition channels on your user's behavior." The documentation provides a code snippet to implement this functionality, which updates UTM super properties and profile properties with the most recent values. Regarding your specific use case of inserting UTM information when a purchase is made: This wouldn't typically be considered "last touch" in the traditional sense, as UTM parameters are usually associated with the traffic source that brought the user to your site. However, if you have a specific business need to associate certain UTM-like parameters with a purchase event, you could certainly track those as custom event properties.
Remember, the goal of UTM tracking is typically to understand which marketing channels and campaigns are driving traffic and conversions. If you're looking to associate additional metadata with purchase events, you might want to consider using custom event properties instead of overwriting UTM data.
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Last-touch UTM tracking is commonly used in specific scenarios where understanding the most recent marketing touchpoints is crucial. Based on the information from our knowledge sources, here are some common use cases for last-touch UTM tracking: 1. Evaluating Recent Acquisition Channels: According to the Mixpanel Documentation on Last-Touch UTM Tracking, "It can also be helpful to track UTM tags in a last-touch manner, which would set the UTM tag to the most recent value detected for the user. This allows you to evaluate the effectiveness of more recent acquisition channels on your user's behavior."2. Bottom-Funnel Campaigns: As mentioned in the Mixpanel Blog: Marketing reports that calculate campaign ROI, last-touch attribution is often used for bottom-funnel campaigns. These are campaigns focused on driving conversions from users who are closer to making a purchase decision. Last-touch UTM tracking can help identify which channels are most effective at driving immediate conversions.3. Multi-Touch Attribution Analysis: When performing multi-touch attribution analysis, last-touch data is crucial. As stated in the Mixpanel Blog on Marketing Analytics, "Multi-touch attribution models give you insights into what campaigns or pages your users interacted with before converting. Ideally, you want to be able to track first-touch, last-touch, and everything your users interacted with in between, so that you get a complete picture of their journey."4. Retargeting Campaigns: Last-touch UTM tracking can be particularly useful for retargeting campaigns. For example, if a user abandons their cart and later returns to complete a purchase after seeing a retargeting ad, last-touch tracking would capture this interaction.5. Assessing Recent Marketing Efforts: If you've recently changed your marketing strategy or launched new campaigns, last-touch UTM tracking can help you quickly assess the impact of these recent efforts on user behavior and conversions.It's important to note that while last-touch UTM tracking provides valuable insights, it should often be used in conjunction with other attribution models for a comprehensive understanding of your marketing performance. Mixpanel allows for comparison of multiple attribution models, including first-touch, last-touch, and various multi-touch models, to give a more complete picture of the user journey.
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Your understanding is on the right track, but let me clarify and refine it based on the information from our knowledge sources: First-touch attribution indeed focuses more on the acquisition path of users, but it's not limited to just new users. According to the Mixpanel Blog: Marketing reports that calculate campaign ROI, first-touch attribution is typically used for: 1. Top-funnel campaigns 2. Prospecting campaigns 3. Understanding what initially brought users to your product or websiteThe blog states: "First Touch - Gives 100% credit to the first touchpoint within the attribution lookback window."Last-touch attribution, on the other hand, doesn't necessarily focus on the specific action path of existing users. Instead, it focuses on the most recent touchpoint before a conversion, regardless of whether the user is new or existing. The same blog post mentions that last-touch attribution is often used for: 1. Bottom-funnel campaigns 2. Understanding which channels are most effective at driving immediate conversionsThe blog states: "Last Touch - Gives 100% credit to the last touchpoint within the attribution lookback window."It's important to note that both models can be applied to both new and existing users. The key difference is the point in the user journey that each model emphasizes: - First-touch highlights the initial interaction that brought a user to your product or website. - Last-touch emphasizes the final interaction before a conversion or other important event.As the Mixpanel Blog on Marketing Analytics suggests, ideally, you'd want to track both first-touch and last-touch (and everything in between) to get a complete picture of the user journey. This is where multi-touch attribution models come into play, allowing you to see the full path from acquisition to conversion for both new and existing users.
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To answer your question about retaining UTM information, let's look at how Mixpanel handles UTM parameters and what's considered common practice based on the information from our knowledge sources.Mixpanel's approach to UTM tracking is as follows: 1. First-touch UTM tracking: According to the Mixpanel Documentation on Traffic Attribution, Mixpanel's JavaScript SDK tracks UTM parameters in a first-touch manner: "By default, Mixpanel's Javascript SDK tracks UTM tags in a first-touch manner by setting the first UTM tags detected for the user as a profile property and super property. This allows you to see what acquisition channel brought your users to your website originally."This means that the initial UTM parameters are stored as user profile properties and are retained across sessions, not just for a single session or until logout.2. Event-level UTM tracking: The same documentation states: "The JavaScript library will automatically add any UTM parameters (utm_source, utm_campaign, utm_medium, utm_term, utm_content, utm_id, utm_source_platform, utm_campaign_id, utm_creative_format, utm_marketing_tactic) present on the page to events fired from that page load."This means that UTM parameters are also captured at the event level, which allows you to see the UTM data associated with each specific event, regardless of session or login status.3. Last-touch UTM tracking: While not enabled by default, Mixpanel provides a way to implement last-touch UTM tracking. The Mixpanel Documentation on Last-Touch UTM Tracking provides a code snippet that updates UTM super properties and profile properties with the most recent values.Given this information, it's more common and generally recommended to retain UTM information beyond a single session or logout. This approach allows for more comprehensive attribution analysis, especially for understanding the full user journey from acquisition to conversion, which may span multiple sessions or extend beyond a single login period.However, the specific implementation can depend on your business needs and the type of analysis you want to perform. If you need to analyze UTM data on a per-session basis, you can still do so by looking at the event-level UTM properties that Mixpanel captures automatically.Remember, the goal is to have a complete picture of your user's journey and the effectiveness of your marketing channels. Retaining UTM information across sessions and logins helps achieve this goal by providing a more holistic view of user acquisition and behavior over time.
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Based on the information from our knowledge sources, it is indeed a common practice to retain UTM information until new UTM parameters are detected. This approach aligns with Mixpanel's default behavior and best practices for attribution tracking. Let me explain in more detail: 1. First-touch UTM tracking: According to the Mixpanel Documentation on Traffic Attribution, Mixpanel's JavaScript SDK tracks UTM parameters in a first-touch manner: "By default, Mixpanel's Javascript SDK tracks UTM tags in a first-touch manner by setting the first UTM tags detected for the user as a profile property and super property. This allows you to see what acquisition channel brought your users to your website originally."This means that the initial UTM parameters are stored and retained, providing insight into the original acquisition channel.2. Last-touch UTM tracking: While not enabled by default, Mixpanel also provides a way to implement last-touch UTM tracking. The Mixpanel Documentation on Last-Touch UTM Tracking states: "It can also be helpful to track UTM tags in a last-touch manner, which would set the UTM tag to the most recent value detected for the user. This allows you to evaluate the effectiveness of more recent acquisition channels on your user's behavior."This approach updates the UTM information whenever new UTM parameters are detected, which aligns with the practice of retaining UTM information until a new UTM is detected.3. Event-level UTM tracking: In addition to the above, Mixpanel automatically captures UTM parameters at the event level. The documentation states: "The JavaScript library will automatically add any UTM parameters (...) present on the page to events fired from that page load."This means that each event can potentially have different UTM information, allowing you to track changes in UTM parameters over time.Given these practices, it's common and generally recommended to retain UTM information until new UTM parameters are detected. This approach allows for: - Tracking the original acquisition channel (first-touch) - Understanding the most recent effective channel (last-touch) - Analyzing the full user journey across multiple touchpoints (event-level tracking)This comprehensive approach to UTM tracking enables more accurate attribution analysis and a better understanding of your marketing efforts' effectiveness over time.
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Based on the information from our knowledge sources, your understanding is correct. When UTM parameters are tracked using the first-touch method in Mixpanel, the existing UTM information won't be updated even if a new UTM is detected. Let me explain this in more detail: According to the Mixpanel Documentation on Traffic Attribution: "By default, Mixpanel's Javascript SDK tracks UTM tags in a first-touch manner by setting the first UTM tags detected for the user as a profile property and super property. This allows you to see what acquisition channel brought your users to your website originally."This means that once the initial UTM parameters are set for a user, they are retained as profile properties and super properties, and are not overwritten when new UTM parameters are detected in subsequent visits.The purpose of this approach is to preserve information about the original acquisition channel that brought the user to your website or product. This is particularly useful for understanding the long-term effectiveness of your marketing channels in acquiring users who eventually convert or become valuable customers.However, it's important to note that Mixpanel also provides ways to capture subsequent UTM parameters: 1. Event-level UTM tracking: Mixpanel automatically captures UTM parameters for each event. This means that even if the first-touch UTM properties aren't updated, you can still see the UTM parameters associated with each user interaction.2. Last-touch UTM tracking: While not enabled by default, Mixpanel offers a way to implement last-touch UTM tracking. As mentioned in the Mixpanel Documentation on Last-Touch UTM Tracking: "It can also be helpful to track UTM tags in a last-touch manner, which would set the UTM tag to the most recent value detected for the user. This allows you to evaluate the effectiveness of more recent acquisition channels on your user's behavior."If you need to track both first-touch and last-touch UTM parameters, you would need to implement the last-touch tracking in addition to the default first-touch tracking. This way, you can maintain information about both the original acquisition channel and the most recent effective channel for each user.Remember, the choice between first-touch, last-touch, or both depends on your specific attribution needs and the type of analysis you want to perform on your marketing efforts.
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Yes, you can report the last touch UTM and first touch UTM separately in Mixpanel. This capability allows you to gain insights into both the original acquisition channel and the most recent effective channel for your users. Here's how you can do this: 1. First Touch UTM: By default, Mixpanel's JavaScript SDK tracks UTM parameters in a first-touch manner. According to the Mixpanel Documentation on Traffic Attribution, these are stored as profile properties and super properties. They are prefixed with "initial_" to distinguish them as first-touch properties. For example: - initial_utm_source - initial_utm_medium - initial_utm_campaignYou can use these properties in your reports to analyze the original acquisition channels of your users.2. Last Touch UTM: While not enabled by default, Mixpanel provides a way to implement last-touch UTM tracking. The Mixpanel Documentation on Last-Touch UTM Tracking provides a code snippet to implement this functionality. Once implemented, you can track the most recent UTM parameters for each user.3. Reporting: Once you have both first-touch and last-touch UTM data, you can create separate reports for each: - For first-touch analysis, use the "initial_" prefixed UTM properties. - For last-touch analysis, use the most recent UTM properties (without the "initial_" prefix).4. Multi-touch Attribution: Mixpanel's multi-touch attribution feature allows you to compare different attribution models side by side. As mentioned in the Mixpanel Blog on Marketing Analytics, "Multi-touch attribution models give you insights into what campaigns or pages your users interacted with before converting. Ideally, you want to be able to track first-touch, last-touch, and everything your users interacted with in between, so that you get a complete picture of their journey."By reporting on both first-touch and last-touch UTM data separately, you can gain a more comprehensive understanding of your user's journey from initial acquisition to conversion. This allows you to evaluate the effectiveness of both your top-of-funnel marketing efforts (using first-touch data) and your bottom-of-funnel or retargeting efforts (using last-touch data).Remember to implement the last-touch tracking code if you want to capture and report on the most recent UTM parameters, as this is not included in Mixpanel's default setup.
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kapa.ai So, if the UTM has "initial_" as a prefix, it can be considered as first touch, and if it doesn't have the "initial_" prefix, it can be considered as last touch. Does this mean that when tracking UTM only using the first touch method, only the initial UTM parameters would be recorded?
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You're on the right track with your understanding, but let me clarify a few points based on the information from our knowledge sources: 1. First Touch UTM:
You're correct that UTM parameters with the "initial_" prefix are indeed considered first touch. As stated in the Mixpanel Documentation on Traffic Attribution: "When UTM parameters for an identified user are seen for the first time, these will also be stored on the user profile as initial_utm_source
, initial_utm_campaign
, initial_utm_medium
, initial_utm_term
, initial_utm_content
, initial_utm_id
, initial_utm_source_platform
, initial_utm_campaign_id
, initial_utm_creative_format
, and initial_utm_marketing_tactic
."2. Last Touch UTM:
While it's true that UTM parameters without the "initial_" prefix can be used for last touch tracking, it's important to note that this is not the default behavior in Mixpanel. Last touch UTM tracking needs to be implemented separately.3. Default UTM Tracking:
When tracking UTM only using the first touch method (which is Mixpanel's default behavior), it's not entirely accurate to say that only the initial UTM parameters would be recorded. According to the same documentation: "The JavaScript library will automatically add any UTM parameters (utm_source
, utm_campaign
, utm_medium
, utm_term
, utm_content
, utm_id
, utm_source_platform
, utm_campaign_id
, utm_creative_format
, utm_marketing_tactic
) present on the page to events fired from that page load."This means that even with first touch tracking, Mixpanel is still recording UTM parameters for each event, not just the initial ones. The difference is in how these parameters are stored and used: - The "initial_" prefixed parameters are stored as user profile properties and super properties, representing the first touch.
- The non-prefixed UTM parameters are recorded with each event, allowing you to see the UTM data associated with individual interactions.So, to summarize:
- "initial_" prefixed UTM parameters represent first touch and are stored at the user level.
- Non-prefixed UTM parameters are recorded with each event, regardless of whether you're using first touch or last touch tracking.
- To implement true last touch tracking (where the most recent UTM parameters are stored at the user level), you need to use additional code as described in the Last-Touch UTM Tracking documentation.This approach allows Mixpanel to provide both a consistent view of the original acquisition channel (first touch) and a detailed record of UTM parameters throughout the user's journey, even when using only the default first touch method.Mixpanel Documentation on Traffic Attribution
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Based on the information from our knowledge sources, you're correct that there's generally no need to reset UTM information when logging out or when a session ends. Let me explain why: 1. First-touch UTM tracking:
Mixpanel's default behavior is to track UTM parameters in a first-touch manner. As mentioned in the Mixpanel Documentation on Traffic Attribution: "By default, Mixpanel's Javascript SDK tracks UTM tags in a first-touch manner by setting the first UTM tags detected for the user as a profile property and super property. This allows you to see what acquisition channel brought your users to your website originally."These first-touch UTM parameters are intended to be persistent across sessions and logins, so there's no need to reset them.2. Event-level UTM tracking:
Mixpanel automatically captures UTM parameters for each event. This happens regardless of user sessions or login status. The documentation states: "The JavaScript library will automatically add any UTM parameters (...) present on the page to events fired from that page load."This means that new UTM parameters will be captured with events as they occur, without needing to reset anything.3. Last-touch UTM tracking:
If you've implemented last-touch UTM tracking, it updates automatically when new UTM parameters are detected. There's no need for manual resets.4. Resetting on logout:
While there's no need to reset UTM information specifically, Mixpanel does recommend calling the .reset()
method when a user logs out, but this is for a different purpose. According to the Mixpanel Documentation on Managing User Identity: "Call .reset()
to clear data attributed to a user when they logout. This will clear the cookie/local storage and allows you to handle multiple users on a single device."This reset is about clearing the user's identity and generating a new distinct_id, not specifically about resetting UTM information.In conclusion, you're correct that there's no need to reset UTM information when logging out or when a session ends. Mixpanel's tracking system is designed to maintain first-touch UTM data across sessions, capture new UTM data with each event, and (if implemented) update last-touch UTM data automatically. The .reset()
call on logout is for identity management purposes, not for resetting UTM information.Mixpanel Documentation on Managing User Identity
Mixpanel Documentation on Traffic Attribution
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Based on the information from our knowledge sources, it is indeed recommended to call the .reset()
method not only when a user explicitly logs out, but also when a session expires or when a user enters an unauthenticated state. Here's why: According to the Mixpanel Documentation on Identifying Users (Simplified): "Calling .reset
will clear the local storage (which contains the $user_id
and $device_id
), and generate a new $device_id
for the session. It is recommended to call .reset
when a user logout or times out of an authenticated session to prevent the unintentional merging of multiple users sharing one device."This recommendation applies to both explicit logout and session expiration scenarios. The key reasons for this practice are: 1. Prevent unintentional merging: By calling .reset()
when a session expires, you ensure that if another user starts using the same device, their actions won't be mistakenly attributed to the previous user.2. Maintain data integrity: It helps maintain the integrity of your user data by clearly separating different user sessions, even on shared devices.3. Consistent identity management: Treating session expiration similarly to explicit logout ensures consistent handling of user identity across different scenarios.It's important to note that calling .reset()
doesn't affect the UTM information we discussed earlier. As mentioned in our previous conversation, UTM tracking (both first-touch and event-level) operates independently of the .reset()
call.To implement this, you would need to set up a mechanism to detect when a session expires (e.g., through an inactivity timer or by checking the status of an authentication token) and call .reset()
at that point, just as you would when a user explicitly logs out.Mixpanel Documentation on Identifying Users (Simplified)
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You're absolutely correct in your understanding. Let me confirm and elaborate based on the information from our knowledge sources: 1. First-touch UTM tracking: According to the Mixpanel Documentation on Traffic Attribution: "By default, Mixpanel's Javascript SDK tracks UTM tags in a first-touch manner by setting the first UTM tags detected for the user as a profile property and super property. This allows you to see what acquisition channel brought your users to your website originally."This means that once the initial UTM parameters are set for a user, they are indeed retained and will not change, even if the user later accesses your site via a different UTM.2. Persistence of first-touch UTM: The initial UTM parameters are stored with the "initial_" prefix (e.g., initial_utm_source, initial_utm_medium, etc.) as user profile properties. These properties are designed to persist across sessions and remain unchanged to preserve information about the original acquisition channel.3. Updating UTM information: You're correct that unless you implement the last-touch method, these initial UTM properties won't be updated. The Mixpanel Documentation on Last-Touch UTM Tracking states: "It can also be helpful to track UTM tags in a last-touch manner, which would set the UTM tag to the most recent value detected for the user. This allows you to evaluate the effectiveness of more recent acquisition channels on your user's behavior."However, it's important to note that even when only using first-touch tracking, Mixpanel still captures UTM parameters for each event. As mentioned in the documentation: "The JavaScript library will automatically add any UTM parameters (...) present on the page to events fired from that page load."This means that while the initial UTM properties remain unchanged, you can still see the UTM parameters associated with each user interaction in your event data.In summary, you're correct on all points. With only first-touch tracking, the initially registered UTM stays unchanged, regardless of subsequent UTM parameters in user visits. It won't be updated unless you specifically implement last-touch tracking.Mixpanel Documentation on Traffic Attribution Mixpanel Documentation on Last-Touch UTM Tracking
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I apologize for any confusion, but I need to clarify and correct my previous statement. Let me provide a more accurate explanation based on the information from our knowledge sources: 1. First-touch UTM tracking: According to the Mixpanel Documentation on Traffic Attribution: "By default, Mixpanel's Javascript SDK tracks UTM tags in a first-touch manner by setting the first UTM tags detected for the user as a profile property and super property."This means that when using only first-touch tracking: - The "initial_" prefixed UTM parameters are set as profile properties. - The UTM parameters without the "initial_" prefix are set as super properties.Both of these are set only once, when the user first visits with UTM parameters, and are not automatically updated to the most recent UTM set.2. Last-touch UTM tracking: Last-touch UTM tracking is not enabled by default and requires additional implementation. The Mixpanel Documentation on Last-Touch UTM Tracking provides a code snippet to implement this functionality. When implemented, it updates both the super properties and profile properties with the most recent UTM values.3. Event-level UTM tracking: Regardless of whether you're using first-touch or last-touch tracking, Mixpanel automatically captures UTM parameters for each event. As the documentation states: "The JavaScript library will automatically add any UTM parameters (...) present on the page to events fired from that page load."To summarize: - Last-touch tracking does not update the "initial_" UTM parameters. - If only first-touch is used, the UTM super properties (without the "initial_" prefix) are not automatically updated to the most recent UTM set. They remain as the first-touch values. - To update UTM super properties to the most recent values, you need to implement last-touch tracking explicitly. - UTM parameters are always captured at the event level, regardless of first-touch or last-touch tracking.I apologize for any confusion in my previous responses. Thank you for your question, which allowed me to provide this important clarification.
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kapa.ai Does the statement that UTM parameters are always captured at the event level, regardless of first-touch or last-touch tracking, mean that the super properties are attached to every event, but if a new UTM is added to the URL during the process, it will be attached only to those events instead of the super properties? If so, wouldn't this cause data contamination?
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Your question raises an important point about how Mixpanel handles UTM parameters at different levels. Let me clarify based on the information from our knowledge sources: 1. Super Properties: According to the Mixpanel Documentation on Setting Super Properties, super properties are indeed attached to every event. These are the UTM parameters that were first captured when using first-touch tracking (or the most recent ones if using last-touch tracking).2. Event-level UTM Tracking: The Mixpanel Documentation on Traffic Attribution states: "The JavaScript library will automatically add any UTM parameters (utm_source, utm_campaign, utm_medium, utm_term, utm_content, utm_id, utm_source_platform, utm_campaign_id, utm_creative_format, utm_marketing_tactic) present on the page to events fired from that page load."This means that if a new UTM is added to the URL during the process, it will be attached to the events fired from that page load, in addition to the super properties.3. Data Contamination: Your concern about data contamination is valid, but Mixpanel's approach actually helps prevent contamination while providing more detailed data. Here's why: - The super properties (first-touch or last-touch UTM parameters) provide a consistent reference point for the user's original or most recent acquisition channel. - The event-level UTM parameters capture the specific context of each interaction, allowing you to track how users move between different marketing channels during their journey.This dual approach allows you to analyze both the overall effectiveness of your acquisition channels (using super properties) and the specific path users take through different marketing touchpoints (using event-level UTM parameters).To avoid confusion in analysis: - When you want to understand the original or most recent acquisition channel, use the super properties. - When you want to analyze the specific marketing context of each interaction, use the event-level UTM parameters.In conclusion, while new UTM parameters in the URL will be attached to events, this doesn't overwrite the super properties. Instead, it provides additional context for each event, allowing for more nuanced analysis of user behavior across different marketing channels.Mixpanel Documentation on Setting Super Properties Mixpanel Documentation on Traffic Attribution
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kapa.ai What is the difference between UTM used as super properties and event-level UTM, and how are they used separately? From my understanding, when UTM is tracked using first-touch, the initial UTM that was first acquired is registered as the initial UTM and set as a super property. This UTM will automatically be attached to every event as a super property. Even if the UTM value changes to something else with a new URL, the existing UTM registered as a super property will not change, right? Is that correct?
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Your understanding is largely correct, but let me clarify the differences between UTM used as super properties and event-level UTM, and how they are used separately based on the information from our knowledge sources.1. UTM as Super Properties: When using first-touch tracking (which is Mixpanel's default behavior), the initial UTM parameters are indeed set as super properties. According to the Mixpanel Documentation on Traffic Attribution: "By default, Mixpanel's Javascript SDK tracks UTM tags in a first-touch manner by setting the first UTM tags detected for the user as a profile property and super property. This allows you to see what acquisition channel brought your users to your website originally."You're correct that these super properties will be automatically attached to every subsequent event for that user. And yes, even if the UTM value changes with a new URL, the existing UTM registered as a super property will not change when using first-touch tracking.2. Event-level UTM: In addition to the super properties, Mixpanel also captures UTM parameters at the event level. The same documentation states: "The JavaScript library will automatically add any UTM parameters (utm_source, utm_campaign, utm_medium, utm_term, utm_content, utm_id, utm_source_platform, utm_campaign_id, utm_creative_format, utm_marketing_tactic) present on the page to events fired from that page load."This means that if a user arrives via a new URL with different UTM parameters, these new parameters will be captured and attached to the events fired from that page load, even though the super properties remain unchanged.The key differences and uses are: - Super Property UTMs (First-touch): - Represent the original acquisition channel - Remain constant across all events for a user (unless using last-touch tracking) - Used for analyzing overall channel effectiveness in acquiring users- Event-level UTMs: - Represent the current traffic source for each interaction - Can change from event to event as the user navigates through different marketing channels - Used for analyzing user journeys across multiple marketing touchpointsThis dual approach allows you to both attribute user acquisition to the original marketing channel (using super properties) and track how users move between different marketing channels during their journey (using event-level UTM parameters).Mixpanel Documentation on Traffic AttributionRemember, if you need to track the most recent UTM parameters as super properties, you would need to implement last-touch UTM tracking, which is not the default behavior but can be set up as described in the Mixpanel documentation.
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